CHICAGO AUTHOR ON JEWS GUARDING NAZIS…

Twenty years
ago, Michael J. Greenberg found 50 letters
his late father had written to his late mother while he was in the U.S.
Army during World War II.

“To my surprise,
I read that he served as a supply sergeant at a prisoner of war stockade
holding Nazi POWs.” The camp was located just outside Clinton, Mississippi. The
letters documented, in detail, interactions with German POWs and his role
searching high ranking officers’ quarters.

“It was an
unexpected gift my parents left me that became a portal to discovering stories
of Jewish men whose deeds should inspire future generations on confronting
anti-Semitism and racism,” said Greenberg, a retired food industry scientist
and Chicago author of the “Tables Turned on Them, Jews Guarding Nazi POWs in
the United States.” The book was published in January.

Researching
a range of sources, Greenberg found that out of 47,000 GIs stationed at 500 POW
camps, it is possible that 200 Jewish GIs served at one or more of them. “I
could only find books and documentaries on German POWS interred in the U.S.
during World War II, nothing on Jewish GIs who medically treated them, guarded
them or acted as translators.”

Greenberg
said he was inspired to write a book by his father and other Jewish GIs. “They
entered barbed wire prisoner of war stockades carrying no weapons, out-numbered
by a 1:8 guard to POW ratio.”

Rather than
take revenge on former enemies, “they treated them as victims of Nazi
indoctrination to hate. The Jewish GIs de-programmed them through one-on-one
interaction and formal educational and cultural programs which affected
thousands of prisoners of war.”

Greenberg
found the GIs and substantiated their stories in a variety of ways from
articles placed in newspapers to Army documents to historical society sources
such as the U.S. Jewish War Veterans and Jewish museums.

The concept
for a history book was unique. Said Derek Mallet, a professor and military
historian. “Michael Greenberg discovered an important topic that deserved to be
examined at much greater length. The concept that the U.S. Army would put
Jewish soldiers in charge of German prisoners of war – some strongly pro-Nazi—is
not widely known. What started as an interest in his father’s experience
blossomed into a full-fledged project of the diverse experiences of many Jewish
GIs who found themselves serving as guards in American POW camps for German soldiers.”

The Jewish
GIs participated in guarding, healing and re-educating the Germans. “These men
did not feel sorry for themselves being assigned to POW camps, did not request
transfers and focused on things they could control. They viewed themselves as role
models who were educated, held rank and wanted to do more than just ride out
the war. Their mission of tikkun olam—repair of the world—is the subject of
this book.”

Out of early
publicity about Greenberg’s research a few years ago, four soldiers emerged who
served in the camps, some of whom have since passed away. One of the men was Erwin Harris. Greenberg was
able to get his daughter a copy of the book.

Earlier this
year, Greenberg attended Harris’ funeral and eulogized about his military
service. “It was an honor and I think it gave the family a really good feeling.”

Greenberg
hopes his book will lead other family members to become knowledgeable about
their loved ones who served at POW camps and come forward to share their
experiences. This could lead to a future updated edition of the book.

The book “Tables Turned on Them, Jews
Guarding Nazi POWs in the United States” is available through Amazon and other
online booksellers. To contact the author, email tablesturnedonthem@gmail.com